Precipice Quarter (District)
The Precipice Quarter was once known as Beldrin’s Bluff and was the shining jewel of Val Royeaux, The centerpiece of the area was the three-spired, ivory towers of Beldrin, built on the edge of the cliffs overlooking the White Harbor. Even when most of that tower collapsed into the ocean, the rest of the district seemed blessed with good fortune and fair winds—until the Rat Plague and the Earthquake. Whole city blocks tumbled into the sea and hundreds died as their streets and communities crumbled away, leaving an ugly, jagged scar of Cliffside. In the wake of the quake, the Rat Plauge broke out and the Empress was assassinated not long after. The entire district was abandoned and it no longer has a ruling council, district watch or viable community. In many placed, undead (Weepers) roam freely and no one is allowed to cross into neighboring districts from dusk until dawn. Thieves, killers, and vagabonds sometimes seek refuge here but as often as not their screams are heard at night as they discover there is no longer any safety in the Precipice Quarter. From time to time, a public outcry demands the Gran Council reclaim the quarter but nothing serious ever comes of these demands. Generall, the Council agrees to investigate the question and makes a show of hiring some expedition to map the dangers of the area. Then, at the same time that expedition quits in fear or simply disappears, the Coliseum has an unusually good run of fights and a few wealthy members of the Council hold local festivals. The question is forgotten in another few weeks and nothing changes in the district. The Grand Council considers it a write-off and no one with the resources to make a difference has decided to risk the extensive dangers of the area. Arboretum Arcanis This was once a crystal dome that houses plants from all around Borczeg and beyond. Now it is a garden of black and twisted things that can poison the air, animate corpses and fire thorns at potential dinner. Beldrin's Tower One of the three towers of Beldrin still stands, sitting on the very edge of the precipice over the sea, actually groaning when hit by high winds. Rumor claims there are still powerful enchanted items of great power and worth somewhere within the tower, left by Beldrin and possibly able to rebuild the section of the city he loved so much. Adventurers have gone into the tower more than once, and while some return with treasure and others are never seen again, none have found any legendary artifact that can fix the district. The Drownyard Once this was one of the premier preparatory schools for children of the rich and powerful, but the quake brought forth a spray from the sewer that contained the remains of of an ancient necropolis over which the school had been built. Now it is a sea of filth in which the dead children still play, waiting for new playthings to join them. The lower reaches of the Drownyard access the old necropolis and have drawn a few explorers to risk the disease and undead-filled halls of learning in hopes of raiding the ancient crypts below. Stinger's Scar Once a pleasure park, this is now a constant warm of every imaginable vermin in Val Royeaux. In fact, it has drawn many vermin from elsewhere in the city, though those who comment on how pleasant that makes life elsewhere cannot explain what a churning horde of biting and stinging insects might do if it left the Scar and swarmed across the city.